The Fragmented Tale Part 4: Breaking Eight
by Caejan
Summary: 2 years after the events of The Darkheart Crystal. Sora's sacrifice has brought the worlds back together, but the Darkness is not gone. The search for old friends begins and the fight to bring balance to the ravaged Kingdom continues.
1. Prelude

_If you don't understand what's happening, you should probably go and read Part 3: The Darkheart Crystal. Enjoy._

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**-T h e F r a g m e n t e d T a l e**

Part 4- Breaking Eight

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**Prelude** - **The End of the World**

_We're going back._

Lilka smiled, arms folded, eyes looking out into the vast nothingness from which they had arrived almost a year before. Much like the path to Memoria that she could hold only faintly in her memory, the way to Envect consisted of multiple platforms linked together by narrow bridges, as though the method of entry was intended to be the same for every realm.

It was in the spot where she stood now that, two years before, she had awakened, not knowing who she was, why she was there, or who the silver-haired man who had come with her was. Slowly, over agonizing months, she was able to recuperate from the forced passage between realms.

The first thing she remembered was the name of the man who had come with her. She had seen him before, somewhere, before the abyss of the between-realms had engulfed her memories. Afterward, everything had begun piecing itself back together.

She was Lilka, a Crest Sorceress of formidable power. She was on a quest to find her lost sister, but fate seemed to have other plans for her. She had accompanied the Keyblade Master, Sora, from the realm they had begun to call 'The Kingdom' to the realm of Memoria, the realm from which the Kingdom had originated. They had gone in search of the Light, the true Light that created all things, and had made it through all the trials of Memoria, had passed through the gates opened to them by the Moirae, the Fates, themselves and entered into the realm beyond, a realm without fate.

It had been an irony to Lilka, in the beginning, to think that in a fateless realm, fate still seemed to hold sway- if, in defining fate, one meant a sentient, omnipotent force guiding the course of events to a specific end.

She had found that force, too.

With Riku.

The girl continued to look back into the past, her mind scanning across the memories formed in the realm at the edge of which she now stood ready to return. Her companion (and love, now) had carried her through so much, had kept her safe, had promised her that no matter what, he would never leave her side.

After they had awakened on the shores of Envect like a pair of shipwrecked travelers, it had been Riku that pulled them through to the gates of Envect. It had been Riku's cunning that had gotten them into the favor of the Envectian people (such that they were not to be 'purified'), and it was Riku who had managed, somehow, to unlock the secrets of the Thirteenth Order, to learn what the Eight was, and what they must do to stop it.

Thus they both stood, clad in the clothing they had been given as gifts by the people of Envect. The attire (as was the fashion of the people of Envect) predominantly made up of black-colored silk. Her hair, auburn and reaching down to her mid-back, overlaid the few straps that held her top in place; from this top, a length of silk fell in folds, the end of which was connected to a bracelet on her arm. A black sash was wrapped around the young woman's waist, which held a thin-bladed sword to her waist. Silk draped down both sides from her waist down, though the silks had been shortened on one side to make for easier movement. She sported a pair of sleek leather boots, within one of which she had hidden a small knife.

Riku moved up beside her, aquamarine eyes almost glowing in their brightness. His steps were soft; the only sound had been that of the dragging of the cloth draping down from his shoulders, a loose cloak of sorts. The makeshift cloak had a hood, which was now pulled up over his head, veiling the silver mane that Riku was well-known for.

"Are you ready?" he asked her, peering out into the dark with her, trying to see what Lilka was looking at or toward.

"To go home? Absolutely," she responded, turning her gaze away from the abyss and looking toward him. He glanced at her, grinned lopsidedly, and looked back out.

"Good. He's getting a little impatient."

Riku was referring to Mazeura, the man of the Thirteenth Order who had been designated to go with them.

"Why? Doesn't he think of this trip as more of a chore?"

"No… he volunteered. He wanted to see the Kingdom for himself."

"Then… let's go," Lilka replied, turning around to look toward Mazeura.

The man stood at the bridge leading to the platform, the last platform, facing the other two. He wore the black hooded raincoat that had become so predominant in the lives of those fighting for the Light. The hood was drawn down to reveal a bald head and a face which always invoked the feeling of _solidity_ in Lilka's mind. The man wasn't old, per se, but the girl had been able to tell the wear of years and the weight of the Order in his eyes.

Riku turned, and nodded to the robed man.

Mazeura approached, his movements strangely flowing and powerful. The young man with silver hair knew it was better for one's health not to stand in the man's way.

"Are the both of you prepared?" he spoke, voice soft but filled with strength.

Riku nodded, and Lilka replied with a yes.

Mazeura nodded to the both of them, and walked forward, stopping at the edge of the platform. Without so much as glancing back, he spread his arms outward, closed his eyes, and fell forward.

The boy and the girl watched the man's dark form disappear into darker nothingness. Lilka looked to Riku, and Riku looked to her. The boy smiled, and took her hand into his own gloved hand.

"Let's go."

The two let themselves fall and, hand in hand, faded into the abyss.


	2. Council of Worlds

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**Chapter 1** - **Council of Worlds**

* * *

"Dyne! Dyne…? Where in the hell is that $&# boy!" 

The moogles had no trouble sensing both Cid's presence and his anger. The stomping of his brown boots on the floor of the Highwind X as he moved toward the bridge and the steady steam of curses flowing from his mouth were both good indicators. The little white creatures with small red pom-poms sprouting from their heads moved out of his way quickly; they were, sadly, directly at kicking level for an angry adult human, and reports of violence toward the moogle population were relatively common.

"I told him to depart half an hour ago! And what does he do? Waits all day, and then calls me for help, I swear to $# &#$ &$!"

The man was gristly and mean-looking. He wore a pair of loose blue mechanic's pants and a simple white t-shirt. Perched on his forehead was a pair of pilot's goggles, and from his lips hung an unsmoked cigarette. There was an apparent agitation readable in his expression.

There was a hissing noise as the hydraulic doors leading into the bridge of the massive gummi ship slid open. The craft, one of several works of Geppetto's genius and toil, had incorporated both iron and steelworks combined with the natural interstellar capabilities of gummi to create a high-tech hybrid capable of navigation, combat, various operations and still enough room to include all the luxuries of home.

The bridge was filled with multiple seats, before each of which was a HUD displaying the various functions of that station. There was a station for navigation, for weaponry, for ship maintenance, the living areas- everything. The bridge was the brain of the ship.

Operating this brain was a crew of moogles, humans, and an octopus. They were all focused on their own individual stations, the sound of beeps and clicks popping around through the room as they worked. Cid glanced briefly at the panels, realizing that they were only now in the beginning stages of departure checks.

At the end of the bridge, near the viewscreen rather than by the captain's seat, stood a blond-haired young man. He was clad in a pair of white pants, the waist of which was black, a black t-shirt and a white vest. He sported a pair of white sneakers on his feet, and he had had the back of his vest embroidered with the King's crest, within which was the rank insignia of the captain of the ship. He was engaged in conversation with somebody, whom (due to the angle at which Dyne was standing) was unable to see, and nor did he really care.

"What the &#$)'s the matter, Dyne! Did you forget how to tell somebody to take off! I told you to have this ship ready a half-"

Cid halted as, in having come closer, he recognized who Dyne was speaking to.

"Queen Minnie! I-I-I…" Cid stammered, staring at the Queen, who was clad in the pink gown she was so fond of and wearing the royal crown on her head. The man dropped to a knee, bowing his head, his face turning red. In the motion, he feigned wiping his mouth and pulled the cigarette from his lips, sliding it in his back pocket in mid-bow. The Queen had a distinct dislike for cigarettes.

"Don't worry, Cid. Please, please, stand. It was I who ordered that the Highwind X stay in the docks."

Cid got to his feet, looking toward Dyne, trying to read something of the situation. He was able to tell by the boy's relaxed position and the look of excitement on his face that the matter wasn't negative. Relaxing a little, he nodded to the Queen.

"What is it, your Majesty?"

"I haven't been told much, but… we may have found a way to get Sora back."

"**WHAT**?"

The news stunned the pilot. He nearly lost his composition, his mouth having dropped open as his eyes widened with surprise. The man's outburst startled the rest of the crew, who all turned their heads in his direction. Dyne glared at him.

"Keep your voice down, old man. Jeez."

Shaking the surprise off, though no less excited, he babbled.

"Wha- when? Who said? Where is he? Are you sure!"

"Calm down, calm down. No, we're not sure. That's just it; but we may have a very strong lead. The King has made motions to convene council, and wants both you and Dyne to be there."

The hardness on Dyne's face melted, and he grinned at the old pilot. "What do you think, Cid? There might be a way."

Cid only shook his head, grinning, and nodded to the Queen.

"Alright, let's go."

* * *

The gummi docks were a new addition to the Disney Palace, and the Disney Palace was, effectively, a new addition to the Kingdom itself. Since the worlds had been haphazardly connected, a jigsaw puzzle of a pangaea chained by worldheart-links to a glow in the center of the universe, the Disney Palace had become the capital of the realm, which was now commonly called the Kingdom. The King ruled over the entirety of the Kingdom, and the leaders of what had been each of the individual worlds worked in council with him in service of the inhabitants of the Kingdom. 

Only months before, the docks had been completed in order to house the set of massive ships that Gepetto had built. The gummi-behemoths, previously, had been force to hover around the Palace, and they were used both as transport for royal business, as weapons for defense against the Darkness if ever it should return, and were also, from time to time, used to explore out into the starless sky to see if any worlds remained.

Kairi moved down a red-carpeted stairway, Donald Duck on her right, Goofy flanking her on the left. Her pink sneakers, blue-and-red plaid skirt and white top adorned her, primarily because she didn't have anything more formal to wear. She looked out of the glass tube that sealed off the stairway from gummi space, and wondered at the size of the Disney Palace and at the complex transparent structure that was the gummi docks. Small ships navigated around everywhere, and it never ceased to amaze the girl.

What overwhelmed the awe inspired by the incredible construction was the hope shining in her heart. She had spent months in mourning for Sora when she had been told that he had sacrificed himself to bring the worlds back. He had been engulfed by the Light he fought to free, consumed by it, and his heart had been unable to withstand it. She had mourned Riku, as well, who had never returned from Memoria.

But still, for some reason, she had waited. She had waited for so long, for some kind of news. Selphie had, once, told her (and softly, at that) that she should move on, and try to find somebody else. It had ended with Selphie in tears and Kairi storming her way to the Secret Place. And now, perhaps, her waiting had been worth it; maybe now, she would have Sora back.

She glanced momentarily toward the dog and the duck that were accompanying her. She wondered if they ever changed their style of clothing; Donald always seemed to be wearing some manner of blue top, and with Goofy it was always green shirt, black vest, and orange pants.

At least Goofy _wore_ pants. Donald never seemed to bother.

The duck looked up at her as she began to stifle a giggle.

"What's so funny?" he queried, in that duck voice that Kairi couldn't ever help but find to be a little funny.

"Maybe she's just excited," commented Goofy when the red-haired young woman didn't respond. "I mean, you heard, didn't you Donald?"

"No, I didn't. Nobody tells me anything around here."

Kairi, having regained her composure, looked over her shoulder at Goofy, smiling.

"You didn't look at my letter, did you?" she teased. "I don't think His Majesty would be too happy knowing you looked at his mail!"

"No way! I wouldn't read his mail! Unless a'course he asked me to, then I'd have to. Or what if-"

"Aw, we know, Goofy, we know," muttered Donald. "What **do** you know?"

"The King is congealing a special Council of Worlds-"

"Convening!"

"Right! Convening a Council of Worlds. Everyone's gonna be there."

"Who's representing Destiny Islands? My dad wasn't on the ship with us."

"He was on a smaller ship earlier," commented Donald. "I saw him while we were leaving."

"He didn't say anything about a Council of Worlds," Kairi murmured. "This must be really hush-hush business."

"It sure is," acknowledged Goofy before he directed Kairi to make a right turn as they entered into the palace. The place was bustling; moogles, squirrels, walking brooms, and even the occasional elephant were each going about their businesses through the halls, and both dog and duck made took the lead, Donald shouting 'make-ways' and Goofy pushing through as well as he could.

The Palace itself was immense. Kairi was simply overwhelmed by both the diversity of the inhabitants, the number of people moving in and out, the size and number of the halls, everything. How Goofy and Donald knew their ways through it, she had no idea. A left turn, a right turn, a random staircase, a jump, two dodges, and another mile or so of walking, and they still hadn't gotten to their destination.

"You know, it's a wonder why they don't have some other kind of transportation here, like… a golf cart, or something," Kairi commented.

"We're not far, Kairi," replied Donald.

The red-haired girl nodded.

The number of people in the halls had tapered down to a very few, and Kairi was still unable to recognize any familiar faces. She hadn't ever left the island, really; every now and then, Dyne would come to visit her, though the first time she had nearly broken down by the way he reminded her of Sora. The two looked so alike.

Dog and duck directed the girl toward a large hallway, at the end of which were a pair of massive red doors. Why all the doors around here were so massive, Kairi couldn't even begin to imagine, but perhaps it was just the preferred architecture style of the King.

The doors opened of their own volition, and the three of them entered. Within the doors, there was a massive room. The red carpeting changed to one lined with gold, and Kairi wondered at the sheer size of the room at the top of which she stood.

It was at least the size of the large arena in Olypmus Coliseum, and about the same shape, although it was circular. At the center of the domed room there was a podium, on top of which stood King Mickey, looking out at all the leaders of all the now-connected worlds. The girl saw that she was the last to arrive; all eyes turned to her as the red doors announced their closing with a loud boom. Donald and Goofy moved away from her and stood guard at the doors. The room buzzed with lowered voices.

Kairi brushed aside a few rebel strands of her deep red hair from her face, smiled faintly at the hundreds of officials in the council room. She stepped forward, looking at the stairway leading down toward the podium. She looked around, and saw an empty seat next to the blonde-haired young gummi-ship captain, Dyne. She slid in to the cushioned red seat next to him. He glanced to her, smiled.

"Hey," he said. "Heard you were coming. Glad to see you could make it."

She nodded. "Am I late or something?"

"Nah," he said, grinning lopsidedly. "His Majesty just wanted everybody to know you came in."

Mickey called the gathering to silence, and the hum faded, leaving the entire room devoid of noise. Kairi peered down at the mouse standing on the podium. She had only met His Majesty once, not long after the restoration of worlds. He had promised her that she would never have to worry about being taken care of, that she always had a place in the Palace if she wanted. She had declined; the Destiny Islands were her home.

"Is everyone here? Are we missing anybody?" called Mickey, and his voice was amplified by some kind of magical force. The congregation looked about, saw there were no empty seats. Mickey continued. "Leaders of worlds, princesses of heart, officials, honored guests… I have called a Council of Worlds today to announce news for you to relay to your people as you see fit, and to come to a decision regarding what action should be taken in light of recent events."

The buzz of low voices sounded once more. Kairi saw that Dyne was silent, leaning forward with his elbows braced on the ornate wooden desk in front of him. In the boy's blue eyes, Kairi could sense excitement, agitation, and relief all at once. She turned her attention back to King Mickey. As he spoke, the voices ceased.

"It has been said by a very reliable source that there is a way to bring the Keyblade Master back to us."

This statement was followed by a dead, shocked silence. Then the room erupted into cheers and cries of joy. Only a few remained under control, and it was either those who had already heard or had this next question to ask:

"Is this true, Your Majesty? Can it really be done, or is it only rumor?"

As the rabble quieted (after the King's directions to do so), Mickey replied.

"Two of the heros who traveled with the Keyblade Master to the very edge of the fateless realm have returned. They have been gone from us for two years, only now having found their ways home."

Kairi's heart pounded. Dyne grasped the desk in shock. Could it be them…?

"Riku and Lilka have returned to us from a realm beyond Light and Darkness, where they were stranded before the great battle against Darkness. They come bearing knowledge of how to bring Sora back to us, of how to protect us from the Darkness. Donald and Goofy, please escort them in!"

There was an explosion of cheers as the royal mage and the captain of the guard opened the two massive doors, and in them stood a young man with a loose black cloth robe wrapped haphazardly about his body, hood lowered to reveal twin tourquoise oculars, and beside him stood a girl wearing what could be considered fitting for a dancer in the desert.

Kairi whipped around as the doors opened, and was nearly barreled over by Dyne as he fought to get out of his seat and into the aisle. Donald and Goofy watched the young man, Riku, with mixed feelings, knowing they had spent more time fighting than being friends, but knowing what his return meant and what he meant to Sora and Kairi.

Mickey, with all the regal elegance of a king, was clapping as well, his smile wide. He was the first to learn of their return, and had nearly fainted of joy when he learned that his old friend was still alive and well.

Kairi threw herself at Riku, and he caught her, laughing. Dyne was grinning from ear to ear as he looked back and forth from Riku to Lilka, and he was (for once) caught with nothing he could say.

Riku squeezed the girl tightly, overjoyed. He swung around once, and as her feet landed, she pulled away, looking up at her, tears of gladness already wetting her eyes. Lilka was chuckling at Riku's apparent delight, and she looked to Dyne's cheerful face. She wondered what she should say. It seemed a moment that needed no words, but Kairi spoke anyway.

"Oh, Riku! Is it really you? Really, really you? I thought you were gone, forever!"

"Well, Sora's too lazy to take care of you, so somebody's got to pick up his slack!" laughed the silver-haired young man, looking down at her with an intense happiness. He had finally reunited with her, with untainted eyes.

"Sora…" Kairi murmered, slightly distracted suddenly. She looked back up at him, grinning. "You know how to bring him back to us? We can finally be together again!"

Riku nodded.

"Hey, Riku. What happened to you? When we reached the path to the Door… you and Lilka weren't there," said Dyne, nodding toward the young woman with brown hair. Kairi looked to her. They grinned at each other.

"That's a long story, and I have some of my own questions to ask you. But, later… all these people want information, too."

Lilka made her way toward the steps, and gave Dyne a light pat on the shoulder as she passed. The blonde haired kid smiled, and as Riku followed Lilka down toward the podium, he began to guide Kairi back to their seats.

The cheering died out by the time the two reached the podium. They had both gained their composure and, while they tried to keep their faces stony, they couldn't help but appear overjoyed; Riku was happy to be home, and Lilka was glad that Riku was happy. The two moved up the few steps to the podium, upon which Mickey stood. The King nodded, laughed, and extended a hand to his friend. The onlookers gasped.

Riku took the hand, shook it hard.

"I'm glad you're back, Riku," said His Majesty. "We need you more than ever."

"The Darkness isn't gone, is it?"

"No… but Sora is. Tell them what you know."

Both the man and the woman nodded, and stepped to the edge of the platform encircling the podium.

"My respectful greetings to you all," spoke Riku, bowing. Lilka made a slight curtsy, smiling. She wondered at the flowery speech he was making; it really wasn't his style at all, but she didn't mind particularly. She actually enjoyed it a little. "It is good to be home, and it's good to see all of you well and healthy."

Kairi watched on from her seat, beside Dyne. She was surprised at a slight change in Riku's voice. It was hard to place; it was a change in accent, but none like she had ever heard. Perhaps he had picked it up in whatever place he had been for two years.

"My love, Lilka," he indicated toward the young woman, "and I traveled with Sora and Dyne, who is now the captain of the Royal Gummi Force, as well as a warrior named Asher to the very farthest edge of Memoria. We faced the ravages of Memoria, defeated our own reflections, faced the guilt within our hearts, and stood off with the Fates themselves. When the door opened for us, we entered."

Dyne muttered an obscenity when Riku mentioned the name of Asher. It irritated him even more than Riku had referred to him as a 'warrior'; the term 'sleaze-ball traitor' fit a little better, in the blonde-haired kid's expert opinion. But Riku _was_ embellishing the story, and with good reason- his words would be written down in history, so they'd best be good ones.

Kairi looked to him as the nasty words made their way out of Dyne's mouth, and frowned. Looking back down toward the podium, she thought of Asher. No, she hadn't forgotten the boy who had fallen from the sky, who held within himself a strange hybrid of timidity and raging fury, of impossible strength paired with crippling weakness. He had refused to take Kairi with him, but had been more than willing to take a message to Sora, the only communication she could manage to get to him. She also remembered that when he left, a monster came to the Destiny Islands. It had been the Darkheart Crystal, the Nemesis, and it had consumed her and her entire world.

"But where it was Sora, Dyne, and Asher's fate to combat the Darkheart Crystal, to defeat the Darkness and restore the Light, it was ours to discover an entirely new realm, separated from the Light, the Dark, and even the Kingdom itself. It was a realm that has existed since before Darkness and Light were two different things. The realm is called Envect."

The King was listening intently. He had traveled with Riku through realms, they had dragged each other out of the realm of Darkness itself. His knowledge and experience was vast, but he still had no idea that there was a realm outside of those of the Light, the Dark, Memoria, and the Kingdom.

Lilka looked out at the crowd. Riku let the information settle in, and glanced to the woman, taking in the way her soft features caught the spotlight above them, almost making her glow. She sensed his eyes on her, turned and smiled at him. She made a small motion for him to continue, sensing also that he was silently offering her an opportunity to speak. Lilka was not one for speaking to large crowds, though.

"Lilka and I struggled against the people of Envect, fighting not to have our minds and hearts wiped clean, fighting not to be assimilated into them, into forgetting our purpose. We learned their language, learned their histories, and learned of the Thirteenth Order."

Riku was the only one among hundreds in the council chamber speaking. The entire gathering waited for him to continue, their attentions focused singly on him. Lilka fidgeted a little, watching the congregation watching her.

"It was from the Thirteenth Order that I learned the truth. Our realm, as you may know, is engaged in a war, between Light and Darkness. But if the war has been going on for as long as it has, why hasn't one side come out victorious even once? For two reasons. The first is that our realm, until only recently, has been caught in a loop of constant repetition, which, we have learned, has only been temporarily thrown off. A force exists whose entire existence is bent on keeping us in a constant loop of Light and Dark, shifting dominance, destroying us only to create us again, over and over again.

"I took an oath, several years ago, to break this pattern. I was my oath, it was Dyne's oath, it was His Majesty's oath and it was the oath of two warriors, one named Kydran and the other named Knives. We have been given a window of opportunity. We must take advantage of it before we lose it."

There was a murmuring among the congregation. Mickey looked to Riku, nodding his assurance that the oath he took yet stood. The murmuring soon grew into a loud buzzing, and the King called the room to attention.

While Mickey was attempting to bring control over the Council, Kairi looked to Dyne, who had grown distant since the mention of the oath. She frowned, and leaned forward, looking up at his face, trying to get a better view of it. Sensing her, he snapped his head in her direction.

"…what?"

"Nothing. You just… nothing," she said, shaking her head and looking back down at the podium, where Mickey was now addressing the cloaked young man.

"You said there were two reasons," said Mickey, his voice amplified for all to hear. "What is the second, and what does all of this have to do with bringing the Keybearer back to us?"

Riku nodded, and looked back at the congregation. "The second reason is… Light and Darkness are not two separate forces. They are merely two faces of the same force: memory. If you were to try to eradicate Darkness fully, forever, then you would forever be denied the ability to forget, to carry on and to realize what it past, present and future."

At this point the Council nearly exploded as shock, disbelief, 'ah-hahs!' and shouts of anger erupted from them all. The King fought to bring them back under control, and Riku watched them, shaking his head slightly. Lilka turned to him, and uttered something that the King was unable to make out, and the young man nodded.

The girl's fingers danced behind the loose silk stretching from one shoulder to the opposite arm, hiding the gathering of energy as she prepared to cast the spell. There was a slight flash beneath the dark silks.

"**GET A GRIP!**" Riku's voice erupted out from the podium, instantly overpowering even the most boisterous argument in the Council room. All faces turned to the three people standing in the center of the room, and with the spell finished, Riku continued without Lilka's voice amplification, relying on the type Mickey had been using.

"I need all of you to listen to me," spoke Riku, his eyes narrowing. "Right now, a being called Caejan is trying to bring the Darkness back from whatever prison Sora created for it when he restored everything. He does it because it's the entire point of his existence to bring the balance back, and the only way he can do it is wiping the slate clean; he almost had it last time, and **will** have it if we don't act immediately."

Every person in the room sat a little straighter, either returning to their seats or listening more attentively. Riku glanced and saw the stone-cold seriousness written on the face of Jack, the Pumpkin King. He saw King Triton's normally-serious face locked in an expression of severity that amazed him. He saw Geppetto in the crowd as well, his mind already churning with ways to get them where they needed to go.

Riku's thoughts also traveled to how many of the people in the room he had wronged when he had let himself play into the Darkness's hands, when his overconfidence had been his downfall. He had not yet fully atoned; he would not rest until all was truly right.

"Sora's consciousness and memories still exist within the depths of the Light. His heart was ripped from his body by the Darkheart Crystal, and the structure of his heart simply couldn't handle all of the Light he was forced to accept to bring the worlds back. It broke down, and all of his consciousness was lost in the sea of Light that was left."

Dyne's brow furrowed as he listened. How had Riku learned about that? He hadn't been there. He hadn't been there to see that agonizing moment when he was forcefully severed from Sora, when the connection was broken forever, when he had truly become his own person like he wanted, much to his own dismay.

"Because Sora had no body any longer, and no actual heart, we have a couple of choices. We can create for him a new heart and a new body, and extract his memories from the Light into this artificial creation," Riku announced, and it was plain to see how distasteful this sounded to him.

Kairi was the first once to shake her vehemently at this course of action. Dyne knew why, and there were several reasons. To be encased in an artificial heart would be bad enough, but to have Sora living in an artificial body as well? Sora would never be happy. He would act as though it didn't bother him, perhaps take solace in the fact that he had his friends back, but it would be… unnatural.

"The other option," said Riku, looking up toward both Kairi and Dyne, "is that we bring Kairi to the edge of the Light, and use her to call Sora back to us, to anchor him back into reality until, maybe, his heart returns."

The red-haired girl watched Riku, and smiled oddly. Why he was saying all of this in council wasn't exactly apparent to her; she knew that Riku knew that she would do anything for Sora. But Dyne was able to see it. Getting Sora back would only be the first step. If Sora's heart did come back, because he was no longer connected to his body (and Dyne wondered at the fact that he had already, in his own mind, ceased to consider himself to be Sora's body), he would be sent straight to Kingdom Hearts. And when he was brought back, his shadow would be brought back as well, and…

Dyne laughed aloud at the sight of the layers upon layers of scheming and planning this must have taken. Riku was very obviously dead-set on upholding his end of the bargain; all he had to do here was, essentially, promise the leaders of the Kingdom that they would be safe and have their Keybearer back, even though they were going to beat Caejan at his own game. It was truly devious. But he would have to speak to Riku later. There were a few blaring flaws (as far as Dyne was concerned) in this plan.

The Council members each turned to each other, and began discussion. With the moment to rest, Riku turned to Lilka. He spoke in the tongue of Envect.

"_I've said what I needed to say. I need you to see if Mazeura's still here or not,_" the boy spoke in the flowing-yet-artificial language. "_He upheld their side of the bargain. I want to know if he's gone for our side already._"

Mickey frowned. He didn't like the idea that Riku was saying something not meant for his ears. He gave it a second thought, and figured perhaps he was telling Lilka something he didn't want _everyone_ to hear… or what nobody else really _wanted_ to hear. They _were_ grown-up, after all…

The girl nodded to him, but Riku could read a little anxiety behind her eyes.

"_If he does something… rash, you know what to do. I'll be by your side in a heartbeat._"

"_I love you_," she said. "_I'll be back in a moment._"

"Your Majesty," Lilka said, turning to the King. "There is something I need to go do…"

Mickey frowned.

"Nature calls," she said sheepishly, smiling in an odd sort of way. The mouse nodded.

"Far be it from me!"

The girl nodded, and the King displayed an astonished expression as her form faded from his sight in the span of a moment. There was a slight murmur in the congregation as she disappeared, because by that time they had finished their conversations and were now ready to listen to the King.

"Those in favor of giving our support to the effort of bringing the Keyblade Master back to us, say 'aye'!" the King called out.

A single, unanimous 'Aye!' filled the room.

The King nodded, and turned to Riku, voice still amplified.

"As far as how Sora is brought back… I believe that depends on Kairi. It is her choice whether she wants to go with you or not, and I believe I share every Council member's opinion in saying that it would be unfair to bring the Keybearer back into an unnatural heart and an unnatural body."

The sound of agreement rolled over the gathering. Then, all eyes turned to the red-haired girl sitting in the back. Riku faced her as well. Their eyes locked. The young man smiled.

Kairi took a breath, and got to her feet. Dyne, though he was unsure why, felt compelled to stand with her, so she wouldn't be alone. The boy stole a glance at her face. He could read the turmoil underneath the surface of her expression; it had nothing to do with the decision laid on her shoulders. It was a wasted question; everybody knew the answer. What he could read in her eyes, however, was the pain of dredging up the memories of her lost love, of having to think of the fact that she still didn't have him like she was supposed to.

"I've waited so long to see Sora again," Kairi began. "He promised me a long time ago that he'd come back to me… and if I don't go, he'll never be able to keep his promise. I'm going to go, no matter what it takes."

Riku was smiling from ear to ear. Yes; finally, his opportunity was coming. He, Sora, and Kairi would be together again, like old times; he wouldn't have the weight of his sins on his shoulders, and it everything would be right. But they still had so far to go…

"So be it!" the King announced. "We will begin planning immediately! I hereby appoint Riku as the head of this mission, and Lilka as the . I further appoint Dyne, Captain of the Royal Gummi Fleet, to handle all affairs related to this effort. Kairi is appointed as second in command, and Goofy, Captain of the Royal Guard, will be responsible for ensuring the protection of the crew and important persons. This proclamation shall be recorded and given the Royal Seal, so that none will interfere in this endeavor. This Council is now concluded."

Cheers erupted from every member of the congregation as each one expressed the joy they felt at the prospect of having Sora returned to them.

As the masses of kings, presidents, leaders, and chieftains all sifted out, Kairi and Dyne made their long way down to the central podium where Riku and the King stood discussing what they were going to do. Kairi was grinning at the silver-haired young man by the time she moved up the steps leading to the podium, and Riku turned to see her. He smiled.

"It's so good to see you again, Riku," said Kairi, moving to his side. "I didn't think I was ever going to get to see you or Sora again…"

Riku shook his head vehemently. "I couldn't let that happen, could I? It's funny. First it was Sora who came to help both of us… now it's us who have to go save him."

"We'll do it. No matter what," Kairi stated firmly, looking to Dyne. "Besides… how could anything get in our way? We have you and Dyne, and Donald and Goofy and the ships now, right?"

Dyne shrugged. "It's mostly formalities, Kairi," he spoke, but he knew there was something Riku wasn't telling them. He was going to find out, and he knew also that Riku was going to tell him.

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway. We're getting Sora back," grinned the girl, looking at each of the others in turn. Riku's expression showed depth, Dyne's showed suspicion, and the King was apparently in deep contemplation. Was there something she was missing?

"That's right, but at the moment… I'm starving!" cried Mickey, who hopped off of the podium. "Come on guys, we've got a banquet waiting for us. Only the best for the Keyblade Heroes!"

The girl turned and followed Mickey, but upon realizing that neither Dyne nor Riku were following, she turned back and frowned. There were watching her. Riku grinned suddenly, and nodded toward her.

"Go with the King, Kairi. I need to talk to Dyne about the mission. We'll meet you there."

Kairi looked at the two of them, and they could both sense the gears turning in her head. Kairi wasn't stupid, this at least Riku knew. She had an intuitive sense like no other, and she knew something was going on. But if she knew the risks he was taking…

Finally, she smiled, the suspicion disappearing suddenly. Nodding, she turned and jogged to catch up with King Mickey, following him up the steps and disappearing through the massive red doorway.

With the hall empty, Dyne turned to Riku and his blue eyes suddenly turned hard.

"What's the plan, Riku? Really? It's obvious you plan on getting Asher back as well, but I don't see how doing Caejan's job for him is going to help us along."

The cloak-clad man sighed, and his twin aquamarine oculars shifted toward the doorway.

"Lilka and I had no choice. It's a small window of opportunity we've been given, but we have to take it," Riku began. "The Thirteenth Order-"

"You mentioned them earlier. So Caejan wasn't lying, then?"

"No, he wasn't, and there's a member of the Order here in the Kingdom now. Lilka went to see if he's already gone in search for Caejan… I sitll haven't heard from her."

"So let me get this straight… you're not only helping Caejan along, but you brought a member of the Order to help him out too! You've got to be kidding me, Riku, we can't handle them both at once!"

"I know," snapped the silver-haired young man, "and that's why I'm playing along for now. Neither Sora nor Asher can be brought back unless Kairi helps us, and they can't control Kairi, which is where we have our leverage. We'll bring Sora back and try to beat them to Asher… and once we're all together again, we can face Caejan and Mazeura."

"Mazeura? That's the name of the Order man?"

"Yes. But we have to handle this carefully. I still don't know whether the Order plan on controlling Caejan, or working with him to bring the Eight back into cycle, but we have to try to stop both. It's the only chance we have."

Dyne nodded, frowning, his eyes traveling to the ground. So there was the problem. Riku and Lilka had only one way back, and that was through the Order that created Caejan, that existed to keep the Kingdom in the constant cycle. They had come so close to breaking it, but they had been blind…

The blonde-haired kid moved down the steps and toward the stairway out.

"Dyne," Riku spoke as he walked away. "You trust me, don't you?"

"Duh," replied the dual wielder, not looking back. "Now let's go eat."


	3. The Path to the Light

**

* * *

-T h e F r a g m e n t e d T a l e**

Part 4-Breaking Eight

* * *

**Chapter 2** - **The Path to the Light

* * *

**

Nighttime had fallen over the Palace, and not a person walked the halls, not a single being moved through the building. Lilka found the silence both strange and oddly comforting; she felt safe here, secure in so many ways. This feeling kept her on edge, however; her mind had been trained over the past two years to keep alert at all times, even in sleep. Envect had been a dangerous place for both her and Riku. The silver-haired young man had told her not to worry, that this was the safest place he could think of.

Still, she lay awake, in thought.

She spent a few moments listening to Riku breathe, curling in closer to him. The bed was extraordinarily comfortable; plenty of soft pillows and a mattress that could only have been made out of a cloud. It was one of the best rooms in the palace, and the two had been grateful for it. The room itself was not as disorienting as the rest of the palace; it was nice and round, and its bookcases didn't curve, and the bed within it wasn't seventeen feet tall, and other such small details which lent to its being easier on the eyes.

She kept her eyes closed, snuggling in closer to the one she loved. He was laying on his back, head on a pillow, blanket pulled over the lower half of his body, one arm beneath Lilka's neck and curling back around her shoulder. His breath came evenly, peacefully; he was in a deep sleep. The sound of his slumber wasn't quite enough to ease her mind, however.

Lilka's thoughts drifted to the black-robed man that had come with them into the Kingdom. Mazeura. He was of the Thirteenth Order, one of the lesser figures but still radically powerful nonetheless. She knew as well as Riku did what he was planning to do, but how was he going to do it? He had already gotten a head-start, as well. Where was he now? Was he going to bring down the palace? Take Caejan's place?

At the thought of Caejan, her thoughts shifted toward him. He was a victim of circumstance, certainly, and had lost every ounce of his self when he had taken up the Genesis and the Termina… was the control of the mother and father of all keyblades what Mazeura was seeking? And if he got it…

She sighed. She knew what Riku was planning as well. They would bring Sora back, and then get Asher back, and once they had both of them, they would have the leverage to stop the Order, somehow…

"Asher…"

Lilka formed the words quietly, saying the name as if she didn't quite believe he was real. She had learned a great deal about him in Envect, almost all of it being centered around his relationship with Sora. The Keyblade Master had been split into three parts when he had freed Kairi from within himself; his counterparts, Dyne and Asher, were the result of the split; at least, the split had been the trigger that pulled Asher into the role of Sora's shadow. But…

But wasn't Asher Sora's shadow long before that? She wasn't sure. Nobody really was, even within the Order. Asher's existence, and the fact the Sora was the Keyblade Master, was a fluke, pure and simple. Riku should have been the Keyblade Master. What had changed it? Where was the root of it all?

The questions buzzed through her mind before, within moments, they all droned together into the background of her mind. She felt her focus draining, felt clarity slip, and let herself go.

Lilka slept.

* * *

Riku watched the others silently, not entirely sure why he found them to be more interesting than the heaps of delicious food on his plate. The fork was rolled around, back and forth, in his ungloved right hand. He had his left forearm on the corner of the massive wooden table, and periodically glanced at his food to ensure he wasn't caught.

There were ten seats for the table at which they sat. The table itself was intricately carved, made of mahogany, and it was also circular, allowing each person sitting at the table a good view of one another. Riku sat with Lilka at his right and Mickey at the left, and beside Mickey was Minnie. Going further around, there was Donald and Goofy, followed by two empty seats, Kairi, and Dyne.

The two empty seats and places had been set for the two people of this small 'family' that had been unable to join them. Kairi wondered for a moment why Leon, Aerith, Cloud, Yuffie, and Cid hadn't been invited, because she had wanted to visit with each of them. She had been told that Leon had not been brought back like the others, that Yuffie was busy with matters in Traverse Town, Cloud and Aerith were off honeymooning somewhere, and that Cid was tied up with handling the upcoming flight.

Each person at the table was having a difficult time not glancing at the chair where Sora should have been sitting. Dyne was having very little trouble with ignoring the other seat entirely. He had been furious when Mickey had suggested the two seats, and the argument had been fierce.

"You can't be serious! You mean you're really going to keep a seat there in memory of a traitor!" he had cried before the meal even began.

"Dyne, Asher saved all of us in Memoria. When Caejan came, Asher saved us. If it hadn't been for him pulling us all out of the Fortress of Mirrors, again, we'd never have made it," Riku had replied.

"I don't care! He did that just so he could try to kill me and Sora in the end, and he would have taken both you and Lilka apart!"

"He was doing what he felt it necessary to do," was Lilka's retort. "I don't know if you noticed, but Asher was trying to stop Sora from sacrificing himself in vain. He saw what was happening, but nobody listened!"

At this, Dyne had thrown his arms in the air and groaned his frustration. Both the seats had been placed there, and that's how it had gone.

Riku watched as Kairi and the King chatted about mundane things, such as Kairi's life on the Destiny Islands, her school, her friends, the King's social life, what either liked to do in their spare time. Lilka was busy ignoring Dyne, who had continued to grumble about Asher's seat, and Goofy and Donald were immersed in a conversation about their upcoming adventure, and whether or not they would find Sora. Minnie and Riku sat in quiet reserve, observing the others.

"I'm glad you still have a good home on Destiny Islands," Mickey said. "Just remember if you need anything, just-"

Mickey glanced toward Goofy and Donald, who were still in conversation about what they were supposed to do when the time came, what their jobs would be on the ship, and so on. The King frowned, and addressed them.

"I thought I said I wanted no talk of that at this table. It's just supposed to be friends having breakfast, without worrying about what's gonna happen."

Dog and duck, thus chastised, spoke their apologies. Dyne watched them, frowning slightly. He appeared, to Riku, as though there was something he wanted to say, but had kept silent.

When they had all finished with their meals, the table had been cleared quickly and the group dispersed. Cid had prepared the Highwind X for takeoff, and all was prepared. Riku's thoughts turned to the task ahead of them; he knew that bringing Sora back would not be easy, and all the preparations in the world couldn't guarantee the success he had promised to the Council of Worlds. The question wasn't whether or not they were going to meet resistance from the Order or not.

The question was whether or not they would break under the Order's might.

* * *

Kairi looked out the window into the starless emptiness. It wasn't the abyssal darkness of the Dark Realm; it was a quiet stillness, a sky with no stars left because they had all been bound into one great star. Her twin indigo oculars traveled across the face of the pangaea that Sora had created with his sacrifice. The ship was still close enough to the surface that she was still able to make out the divisions between 'worlds'; she could see Agrabah and the surrounding desert here, and Traverse Town nestled in the edge of the pangaea over there.

There were only two satellites floating in the sky above the pangaea. One was a dark sphere surrounded by massive asteroids that moved on a path that would not carry it into collision with the second satellite; the vortex of this sphere was called 'The Etranank Rift', and none of the gummi ship pilots had attempted trying to pass through it. Nobody knew what lay on the other side if the pilot even managed to make it through the energy fields and asteroids.

The other was the sun that revolved around it, lighting each day and bringing this warmth. What many had not realized yet was that this sun was not a giant flaming ball of gas.

It was the Light. It was her destination.

The Light, which had been released by Sora, was still a realm in and of itself, but had manifested itself as the sphere that provided sunshine to the inhabitants of Pangaea. The Etranank Rift acted as a sort of moon, giving off a dark glow in the evening time when the Light wasn't overhead.

The young woman felt Riku come near. She turned and smiled at him, shaking her head.

"It's so beautiful, Riku… everything connected, like it was in the beginning… like Grandma said," she spoke to him, looking at the young man. He had grown a great deal since she last saw him… he appeared so much more mature, so much stronger. And there was the calculating, adult look in his eye; her heart panged for a moment, and she hoped Lilka knew how lucky she was.

"Things won't ever be the same as they were, but… we can't really ask for much more, can we?" he said, stepping up beside her. The both of them gazed out at the shrinking pangaea. "I wanted to thank you, Kairi. For agreeing to help us… I know you want Sora back, very badly, and you really don't need much more reason than that to come, but…"

"Don't mention it!" said the girl, lightly. She was smiling for a moment, before the happiness faded for a moment. "But… getting Sora back is just the start, isn't it? There's more."

Riku was silent for a long moment. He took a breath, shaking his head and lowering it to look at the carpeted floor of the gummi ship.

"Yes, there's more. I… I didn't really want to get you involved, I don't want you in danger, but we don't have a choice. Without Sora… something much worse than just the Darkness could happen."

"What do you mean, Riku?"

"Remember when I told the Council about that man, Caejan?"

"Uh-huh."

"His only reason for existing is to create something called the 'Eight'; I'm sure it's derived from 'Figure 8'. He wants to create a pattern that will keep the universe in a constant loop, never changing in its pattern. A Keyblade master rises, sacrifices himself to save the world from Darkness, and it happens all over again."

"And we're going to try to stop him, right?"

"That's right," Riku said, nodding. "He's very, very powerful, and very devious. But myself and three others have been working to foil his plans ever since we learned."

"Three others…? Sora, Dyne, and… King Mickey?"

Riku shook his head, looking back out the window, his memories carrying him back to a moment he had shared with the others.

"No… after Sora closed Kingdom Hearts and Mickey and I got free, we learned about Caejan and we thought that he was the real enemy, the one controlling the Darkness. I sort of played a double agent, allying myself with Caejan to learn more about him. He had four others under his power at the time."

"Oh…"

"I learned about what Caejan was truly planning, and I also learned a little about my other four 'companions'. I learned their names. Dyne, Kydran, Knives, and… Ansem."

"Ansem! No!"

Riku nodded slowly.

"Yes, Ansem, but not the Ansem you know. He shed his body to enter the Darkness, and his body lived on as a creature without a heart… a 'Nobody'. Just like I did."

_Kydran and Knives, though… they were different,_ he thought. _They were something else…_

"Ansem was fully loyal to Caejan," Riku continued. "Caejan had Ansem's heart until his control, and promised the Nobody-Ansem to reunite him with his heart when the time came. Dyne, Kydran, Knives and I… we had other plans. Kydran and Knives had both been lured by Caejan's promises of power, and… I don't know. They hated him."

Kairi was silent, though her expression was concerned. Had Riku told these things to anybody before this? Lilka, certainly, but… Kairi had never had any idea that the danger had run this deep and she never knew.

"And so we made an oath, that no matter what, we wouldn't stop until we had stopped Caejan."

Riku still remembered that night, remembered their words as though they had just been said, remembered the weight of each word like chains in his heart.

'_Because everyone deserves to control their own fate._'

'_Because their sacrifices must be worth something.'_

'_Because I have to make up for what I've done.'_

'_Because this may be our only chance.'_

Kairi glanced at him, and then back out the window.

"So, then… what are you gonna do, Riku?" she asked, with not a little worry evident in her voice. Riku closed his eyes, savoring the words, realizing that to seeing Kairi again, and to see Sora again… it was be meaningful to him. "Are you just going to use Sora to stop Caejan?"

The young man was silent once again. He hadn't thought of it like that; 'using' Sora to do what it was that needed to be done.

"It's… his choice, I guess, really," Riku said, finally. "In the end. The most important thing is making sure that Caejan doesn't get control of you, or him."

_And we can't let the Order get their hands on anybody_, he mused. He was hesitant to bring up the topic of the Order with Kairi, because that would do little but make her even more uneasy that she was now.

"Why would he want control of me?" she asked, and Riku sensed steel in her tone. He couldn't help but smile. Despite how fragile she appeared, she would fight until the end in any way she could.

"Because if he controls you, he controls Sora. Right now, you're one of the only people who can bring him back, and Sora would do anything to get you back and make sure you're safe; and once he had control of Sora, he could do whatever he wanted."

The girl remained quiet. Riku hadn't really intended to worry her, but he knew he had to tell her sooner or later, to let her know just what he had involved her in, as much as he regretted having to do so. Riku reached an arm out and wrapped it around her, pulling her close.

"I won't let anything happen. Dyne won't let anything happen, and neither will Lilka, and Donald and Goofy will be beside you," he said, though it was mostly to reassure himself. He was risking her life, risking everything by taking her, but… did he really have a choice?

"Don't worry about me. Let's focus on what we have to do… we're going to get Sora back, and we're going to stop Caejan, too, and everything will be fine," she said, punctuating her statement with a firm nod.

"You're right, Kairi," he said, releasing her and stepping back, away from the window. "And when we're done…"

"…we'll all be together again," Kairi murmured, looking out at the approaching sphere of Light. "It's a promise."

* * *

Dyne stood in the bridge with folded arms, blue eyes focused ahead. The great globe of Light neared, growing larger with each passing moment. Already, Dyne could see the broken pieces of Memoria orbiting it, having nearly formed a perfect ring about it.

"Chip, report," he spoke, using his command voice. Here in the bridge, he felt important, and, in fact, he was. He was the captain of this expedition, and it was his first priority to ensure they all got there safely. When they arrived, he would help fulfill his oath. But the task at hand needed his focus.

Cid, Donald and Goofy stood not far behind him, watching the events unfold. They watched as the blonde-haired kid gave out his commands, ensuring their safety, getting them as close as possible to the sphere of Light.

"Everything is still in the green, Captain," replied the chipmunk, checking the gauges. "Very strange… there is air surrounding the globe, Captain. It's breathable."

Dyne frowned.

"Are you sure?" he asked. It hadn't been long since Chip had transferred from the engineering department into the actual flying of the machines he helped to build, and he was still prone to mistakes every now and then.

"Very sure!"

"Alright. Terra, set us down there," Dyne said, pointing toward one of the largest of the chunks. Dyne recognized it as one of the large pads that had been rope-bridged to many others, leading to the gate of Memoria. It would have to serve.

"Aye, Captain," the woman responded, and there was a sudden shift as the Highwind X slowed. The blonde-haired kid braced himself, and righted, glancing back at the others.

"I'm going to go get ready to hit ground. Cid, take care of the rest for me," he said, moving past the old man, who began barking orders, and with Donald and Goofy in tow, left the bridge. "Stay on your toes, everyone. I'm expecting resistance."

* * *

The ship, clamped to the chunk of floating rock by a giant pair of hydraulic pincers, opened out at the bottom and a ramp extended from it, connecting to the rock. The group began to move out of the ship and onto the pad.

Riku was the first to emerge. The young man was still wearing his Envectian clothing, as was Lilka, who was shortly behind him. All of them but Kairi had brought weaponry; beneath Riku's cloak, the Nail Bat was tucked away. Lilka carried a long umbrella in hand. Donald and Goofy had brought their weapons.

Dyne was carrying a weapon that he had had custom-made. Because the Keyblades had disappeared from the Kingdom, Dyne had been left with no weaponry, so he had had the moogles create the Keyblade X for him. The weapon resembled a keyblade in both feel and balance, but it possessed a sharp, crystalline blade, and it could be split into a pair of duplicates for easy dual-wielding, as Dyne was accustomed to.

Kairi was in the center of the formation, with all of her 'guardians' surrounding her. She looked a little lost, but her eyes were focused, her mind brought to bear on what she would have to do. Riku had yet to instruct her.

The chunk of rock on which they stood was dwarfed beside the massive sphere of Light around which it spun. They had used the ship's boosters to keep the rock still, but the chunk was still floating along with the other rubble, all that was left of the realm of Memoria. The glow of the sphere itself was close to blinding, but it was also strangely comfortable to look into.

"Don't look directly into the sphere," Riku announced suddenly, realizing quickly what would occur. "There is an infinite amount of memories in it, and you could become lost in it very quickly. Just focus on Kairi."

The group neared the edge closest to the sphere itself. Riku stopped at the edge, turning his back on the Light and looking out past the ship. The pangaea was a small sphere in the distance, and the Etranank Rift was nowhere to be seen, probably eclipsed by the pangaea itself.

"Alright, Kairi… let's get Sora back," the silver-haired young man said. Lilka accompanied the girl over to the edge where Riku stood. Kairi moved with caution, careful not to look directly into the Light. The young man spoke to her. "Alright… now, I want you to begin to think about Sora, if you haven't already. Remember him in as much detail as you possibly can; everything from that mop of hair on his head to the oversized shoes."

Kairi laughed, seeing the grin that Riku had failed to hide. It wouldn't be hard for her to remember; the girl had kept him in mind for two years. Now, she was going to have him back. With a determined nod, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, though the Light still broke through her eyelids. The girl lifted her hands to her breast, folding them as though praying.

"Just focus on him… remembering him, and only him. Don't lose focus."

They stood and waited while she focused. The troupe was completely silent, letting the girl to her work. Suddenly, a beam burst forth from the globe of Light, shooting directly into Kairi's chest, blowing her arms out to the side and lifting her into the air.

"Kairi!" Dyne cried, reaching out a hand and realizing what was happening as the Light spread from her levitating form to the pad itself, engulfing everything in a surreal glow. Riku extended a hand, calling for them to stop, to not worry; this was how it was supposed to happen.

And then the black form solidified into his view.

The Light began to dim, receding from its initial pulse. While Kairi yet remained levitating at the edge of the rock behind him, to Riku's front stood the robed form of Mazeura.

The group immediately encircled the man of the Order, who remained calm. Mazeura stood upright, intimidating despite his stockiness. The silver-haired young man and the Crest Sorceress were once more reminded of the feeling of _solidity _he put out.

Over his shoulder he slung what appeared to be a large axe, with a huge blade and a thick handle around which his gloved fingers were wrapped. Mazeura called out to Riku, though he spoke very loudly, strong enough for everyone to hear what he wanted very clearly.

"Give me the girl."


End file.
